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400 ISIS fighters join Kurdish ranks in Afrin – Turkish state agency

2018-02-01

The Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) has released around 400 Islamic State (ISIS) fighters from prison on condition they join the fight against Turkey in the area of Afrin in Syria, Turkey’s state news agency Anadolu said.

“They were released from prisons in Afrin, Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor on condition that they fight Free Syrian Army forces supported by the Turkish Armed Forces in the context of Operation Olive Branch,” Anadolu said. “Local sources said that there were around 400 of these terrorists.”

Intelligence the agency had received included a tip off about where many of these ISIS fighters might be based.

In particular, “many ISIS terrorists were brought to the Cinderes region to the south of Afrin, where it was learned they were prepared to carry out terror attacks aimed at the TSK and civilians together with members of the PYD/Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)-People’s Protection Units (YPG) terrorist organisations,” Anadolu Agency said.